# Gamergate **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 5, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596 "2014-09-05T17:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 55
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1082 "2014-10-20T21:54:55Z")
The Week: “Gamergate has backfired spectacularly on its nincompoop perpetrators: will they be able to stanch the bleeding? Chances are slim.” — [Gamergate has backfired spectacularly on its nincompoop perpetrators | The Week](http://www.theweek.com/article/index/270115/gamergate-has-backfired-spectacularly-on-its-nincompoop-perpetrators) > [@](#): > > … the more you examine the movement, the more you realize that the only coherent objective ever elaborated or carried out by it is the harassing of certain writers, critics, and game developers, most of them women, who have spoken out against prejudice and misogyny in gaming. > > The evidence of Gamergate’s true nature is twofold: first, if you dig into the chat logs when the movement was first organized you find absolutely nothing but conspiracy derp, horrifying misogyny, an overweening sense of cultural victimhood, and overtly cynical plans to appropriate social justice language for their campaigns of intimidation. An effort by The Escapist to try and get Gamergate’s side collapsed in utter humiliation when several of the interview subjects were quickly found to have been directly involved in harassment. Slate: “A Former FBI Agent On Why It’s So Hard to Prosecute Gamergate Trolls” — [Gamergate threats: Why it's so hard to prosecute the people targeting Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian.](http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/10/17/gamergate_threats_why_it_s_so_hard_to_prosecute_the_people_targeting_zoe.html) — > [@](#): > > For months, a slice of the gaming subculture has waged a campaign of online harassment against prominent women in the videogame industry, including game developers Zoe Quinn and Brianna Wu and feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian. The reasoning behind the targeting of these women is too batshit to unspool here— > > … > > This all adds up to a mismatch between the written laws—like longstanding federal laws against stalking and emerging state laws that specifically address cyberstalking and revenge porn—and their practical enforcement, and resolving the contradiction won’t be easy. Individuals can hire a private consultancy like Kroll to independently investigate incidents—at a personal cost. Increasing jail time for making online threats or posting revenge porn could encourage law enforcement entities to prioritize these cases—but then again, America doesn’t need more people in its prison system. Federal agencies, which have the expertise to investigate online crimes, can help train local police forces in advanced techniques—but it’s still largely a problem of resources, not just know-how. > > This is why some advocates are asking tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google to crack down on abuse on their networks—but even if Facebook punishes bad actors, another site will spring up that welcomes them. The internet has become a conduit for “lots of material that a bad guy can use to shame people,” a platform for sharing it with the world, and also a hideaway where he can easily evade law enforcement, Ryan says. “I think it’s going to get worse." ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1083 "2014-10-20T22:01:27Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Oh bull fucking shit. You’ve made it through more than half a page of this thread and your white knight sexless panties are all bunched up. Sad. …ahhh. White Knight. Says everything we need to know about you right there. > [@](#): > > Most actual human adult men and women get along just fine. Your desperation is pitiful. What exactly am I desperate about? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1084 "2014-10-20T22:02:34Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I made a joke about diabetes a page or two back. …well, I didn’t search for “diabetes.” ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1085 "2014-10-20T22:06:43Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …ahhh. White Knight. Says everything we need to know about you right there. > > What exactly am I desperate about? Fat sexless loser is acceptable, but white knight is “everything we need to know.” Your type just has absolutely no capability of self reflection whatsoever do you? And you wonder why you have to be a white knight on innernet message boards instead of having a real life or ever having sex with an actual live, unrestrained or drugged earth mammal? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1086 "2014-10-20T22:14:41Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Fat sexless loser is acceptable, but white knight is “everything we need to know.” Your type just has absolutely no capability of self reflection whatsoever do you? And you wonder why you have to be a white knight on innernet message boards instead of having a real life or ever having sex with an actual live, unrestrained or drugged earth mammal? …when did I say fat sexless loser is acceptable? Of course you won’t be able to point out where I have said this because I haven’t said this. But you started out in this thread with a strawman, I’m absolutely sure that you will continue with that line of attack for the entirety of your participation in this thread. As for the rest of the tasteless nonsense you’ve just written, ladies and gentleman, I present to you the reality of gamergate. As you can see it has nothing to do with gaming ethics at all. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1087 "2014-10-20T22:16:51Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …when did I say fat sexless loser is acceptable? Of course you won’t be able to point out where I have said this because I haven’t said this. But you started out in this thread with a strawman, I’m absolutely sure that you will continue with that line of attack for the entirety of your participation in this thread. > > As for the rest of the tasteless nonsense you’ve just written, ladies and gentleman, I present to you the reality of gamergate. As you can see it has nothing to do with gaming ethics at all. Blah, blah. Out of touch with reality. You suck at this feminazi white knight shit. None of those fat hairy-legged lesbos is ever going to have sex with you. Why do you try? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1088 "2014-10-20T22:23:12Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > White Knight. Says everything we need to know about you right there. I know, right? The whole “white knight” trope is the product of a profoundly cynical worldview. Nothing is done for its own sake. Everything is done to gain some sort of advantage. If a guy is sticking up for feminist causes he’s doing it for attention, or because he’s trying to get into someone’s pants. I’ve had discussions with other developers about the role that games play in reinforcing this sort of crippled mindset. All games with goals encourage an utilitarian approach to engagement. The only meaningful action in most games are actions that advance you toward a goal, and it’s hard to wonder if this doesn’t encourage some players to take a ruthlessly utilitarian approach to life as well. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1089 "2014-10-20T22:23:21Z")
Techcrunch: “#GamerGate Is The Future Of Troll Politics” — [http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/20/gamergate-is-the-future-of-troll-politics/](http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/20/gamergate-is-the-future-of-troll-politics/) — > [@](#): > > To understand this, we must understand that GG supporters are trolling. This is a form of political theatre. Like so many groups before GamerGaters, the goal – if there is a goal – is to confuse and cloud issues and simply have fun. There is nothing serious behind this group except the severity of their threats and bullying. They are a chat room gone out of control and every media reaction, including this one, feeds their glee. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1090 "2014-10-20T22:29:34Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Blah, blah. Out of touch with reality. You suck at this feminazi white knight shit. None of those fat hairy-legged lesbos is ever going to have sex with you. Why do you try? …I’m not a feminazi, I’m not a white knight, so it isn’t a surprise you think I suck at being something I’m not. I’m not trying to have sex with anyone. I’m having a discussion on a messageboard. Its entirely possible to have a discussion here without resorting to disgusting insults. You’ve been here since 2002 and I never realised what an ugly heart you have. I hope you get better. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1091 "2014-10-20T22:33:44Z")
Banquet Bear, it seems to me he’s trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1092 "2014-10-20T22:37:40Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Banquet Bear, it seems to me he’s trolling. …or as per your last cite, he’s simply “gamergating.” 🙂 And he/she isn’t even very good at that. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1093 "2014-10-20T22:38:51Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …I’m not a feminazi, I’m not a white knight, so it isn’t a surprise you think I suck at being something I’m not. I’m not trying to have sex with anyone. I’m having a discussion on a messageboard. Its entirely possible to have a discussion here without resorting to disgusting insults. > > You’ve been here since 2002 and I never realised what an ugly heart you have. I hope you get better. Maybe you should not take things in the pit seriously. Or personally. Want to have a discussion about women in video games and the way women in video games are portrayed and the way society casually refers to male gamers as fat diabetic losers while many gamers are in fact perfectly swell people that other people like to have sex with, start one. In another forum. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1094 "2014-10-20T22:46:09Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Maybe you should not take things in the pit seriously. Or personally. Want to have a discussion about women in video games and the way women in video games are portrayed and the way society casually refers to male gamers as fat diabetic losers while many gamers are in fact perfectly swell people that other people like to have sex with, start one. In another forum. …I’m perfectly happy to have the discussion we are having right here. The only thing that has changed significantly in the last few pages is that you have decided to grace us with your presence and you have shown us all that you have an ugly heart. And I’m perfectly happy for you to keep revealing what a horrible person you are with every single reply you make. So, please, by all means keep replying to my posts. I’m not taking it that seriously at all. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1095 "2014-10-20T22:52:20Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Maybe you should not take things in the pit seriously. Or personally. Want to have a discussion about women in video games and the way women in video games are portrayed and the way society casually refers to male gamers as fat diabetic losers while many gamers are in fact perfectly swell people that other people like to have sex with, start one. In another forum. If you’re concerned about how society views gamers, you should be appalled at the damage that GamerGate has wrought. The actions of the Gaters have reinforced the worst stereotypes of gaming. I have a friend who teaches game design and media studies and she was lamenting on Twitter last week that the last two months of threats and harassment have undone a decade of work to make the study of games intellectually respectable. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1096 "2014-10-20T22:53:11Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > I know, right? The whole “white knight” trope is the product of a profoundly cynical worldview. Nothing is done for its own sake. Everything is done to gain some sort of advantage. If a guy is sticking up for feminist causes he’s doing it for attention, or because he’s trying to get into someone’s pants. …being called a white knight just makes me roll my eyes. It is such a profoundly incorrect descriptor of my motives (or anyones motives for that matter) for posting that it is nearly impossible for me to take whatever else they are saying seriously. > [@](#): > > I’ve had discussions with other developers about the role that games play in reinforcing this sort of crippled mindset. All games with goals encourage an utilitarian approach to engagement. The only meaningful action in most games are actions that advance you toward a goal, and it’s hard to wonder if this doesn’t encourage some players to take a ruthlessly utilitarian approach to life as well. I suspect you may be right. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1097 "2014-10-20T22:56:50Z")
Techcrunch: “So Long #Gamergate. What Did You Teach Us?” — [http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/19/adios-gamergate/](http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/19/adios-gamergate/) — > [@](#): > > Leigh Alexander wrote the fierce column on Gamasutra that essentially triggered the Gamergate movement (and earned her endless abuse in the process). She penned this: “Traditional ‘gaming’ is sloughing off, culturally and economically, like the carapace of a bug.” and urged game makers to consider that the gamer-as-culture group didn’t have to be their audience. > > … > The lesson? She used overly-strong imagery and emotive rhetoric perhaps, but – despite all the shouting and name calling that followed – Leigh Alexander was essentially right, and Gamergate proves it. It’s not a big movement in terms of user numbers, just a very passionate movement. It reflects a declining voice in the landscape of all things game, a voice that screams and resorts to extreme tactics to be heard, but still. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1098 "2014-10-20T22:58:10Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > One of the “Gamers are Dead” style columns had the eyeroll-inducing remark that we needed to stop seeing “fun” as the ultimate mark of a game’s worth and instead start judging it on how it was socially responsible or edifying or, God help me, “healing”. Sorry, I play for fun. Yeah, well, that’s a really restrictive aesthetic. That’s like saying that every single song on the radio has be bouncy, cheerful dance music. There are lots of interesting ways to play that don’t require the player to have fun, and if games are going to expand as a medium we need to explore different emotional registers. Part of that is letting go of the idea that fun in a thing that has to happen in every play experience. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1099 "2014-10-20T23:02:55Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > If you’re concerned about how society views gamers, you should be appalled at the damage that GamerGate has wrought. The actions of the Gaters have reinforced the worst stereotypes of gaming. I have a friend who teaches game design and media studies and she was lamenting on Twitter last week that the last two months of threats and harassment have undone a decade of work to make the study of games intellectually respectable. Oh please. Threats on the internet undo decades of work and progress? Really? Tell your friend to grow a pair. Is anyone here unaware that internet comments attract a small minority of assholes? Ooh, ooh! It’s like terrorism and rape! Speaking of stereotypes, you know how that whole stereotyping thing works don’t you? You know, using the worst of a group and slapping those labels on the whole group? That a new concept to you? Or it only bugs you when the other side does it? What? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1100 "2014-10-20T23:04:57Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Is anyone here unaware that internet comments attract a small minority of assholes? Not since you showed up, no. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596/1101 "2014-10-20T23:08:01Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Not since you showed up, no. Ooh, sting. I’m a gonna take you seriously now. Taught me a lesson by golly. I TOTALLY didn’t predict your exact troll response. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596.md?page=54) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamergate/697596.md?page=56)